Former Ohio State standout Evan Turner was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Indiana Pacers at the NBA trade deadline last week. / Rick Bowmer/AP

Written by

Michael Pointer

The Indianapolis Star

The Indiana Pacers didn’t address a need for better 3-point shooting in last week’s deal that brought former Ohio State standout Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen from Philadelphia, especially in their second unit.

After watching Turner play with Lance Stephenson during practice Monday, however, coach Frank Vogel sees the positives far outweighing the negatives. Turner had 13 points and six rebounds as Indiana beat the Lakers 118-98 on Tuesday.

“You know, if there was any (concern), it was quickly squashed by watching those two guys play together,” Vogel said. “We had two guys out there on the court that can really create for others. That is a weapon we really haven’t had.

“Evan stood out more than anyone today. He had a great practice. Made me pretty excited to see what he can do for us.”

Stephenson might get more time with the second unit to get him and Turner on the floor at the same time.

“He’s a playmaker and a scorer,” Stephenson said. “I think it will help us out a lot, with two guards attacking at will.”

The Pacers are 19th in the league in 3-point field-goal percentage (35.2). Danny Granger wasn’t shooting as well as he had earlier in his career before being shipped to Philadelphia, but he still forced teams to respect Indiana on the perimeter when he played with the second unit.

Turner is a slashing guard with size at 6-foot-7, but he’s never been confused with a long-range shooter. He shot just 28.8 percent from the 3-point line in 52 games with Philadelphia this season. Pacers president Larry Bird was well aware of that when he made the deal, but liked that Turner can play multiple positions.

“I like how he handles the ball and how he moves the ball,” Bird said. “He’s not a great 3-point shooter, but he can score.”

The flip side is if Turner and Stephenson are getting to the basket like they’re capable of, Indiana will not have to settle for many 3-point shots.

“We’ve got two guys out there that can really make basketball plays,” Vogel said. “It smoothes out a lot of the offensive kinks that we’ve been having.”

Turner was a starter with the 76ers but seems comfortable coming off the bench, noting that’s what he did in the first two years of his four-year career. Vogel reiterated he expects Turner to play similar minutes as Granger — who was averaging 22.5 minutes at the time of the trade — from the start.

“You take what is open and take what the defense is giving you,” Turner said. “Obviously, with the ball in my hands, I feel like I can do a lot in terms of scoring and passing. But with this group, I just have to fit in.”

Vogel sounds like a coach with more pressing concerns than the second unit for his team, which still has the best record in the Eastern Conference.

“We’ve got to take care of our transition defense,” Vogel said. “We have a sense of urgency with that. Hopefully, Evan coming in will pick up the offense.”